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Bryan Co. falls to Claxton

PEMBROKE - Claxton running back Jamalcolm Morgan carried the ball 18 times in the second half, slogging through the muddy field for 79 yards to lead the Tigers to 20-3 comeback win over Bryan County Friday night.

Bryan County (0-7, 0-3 Region 3-A) took a 3-0 lead just as the first half ended on Cody Crowe's 36-yard field goal to go into the locker room with momentum.

That momentum quickly vanished though as Claxton (4-3, 2-1 Region 3-A) took the second half kick off and scored seven plays later on a 52-yard pass from Michael Peel to Chris Bellamy after Morgan had carried the ball on five of the first six plays of the drive. It was Claxton's first pass attempt of the game.

The extra point attempt was no good.

"We got a little anxious in the secondary," said Bryan County coach Ron Lewis. "The only pass play they run is the waggle. We worked on it all week, we were on the sidelines yelling 'waggle', we had one guy assigned to number 2 (Bellamy) at all times, that's who they threw it to. It was just a matter of him getting too caught up the game instead of playing his own assignment."

Three plays after the kickoff, Bryan County gave the ball back to the Tigers when Willie DeLoach coughed the ball up on his own 33.

Morgan carried the ball on every play of the ensuing touchdown drive, scoring from 2 yards out, before running in the two-point conversion.

"The second half they ran a little more to the weak side. We've got some young linebackers and young defensive ends over there and they found them," Lewis said.

After three plays and a punt from the Redskins, Claxton was mounting another drive before Bryan County's Joseph Jenkins covered a loose ball he had created with a jarring tackle of Peel.

Three plays later the Redskins fumbled the ball back.

The teams combined for eight total fumbles on the sloppy field.

From there, Claxton marched 50 yards downfield before scoring its final points on Peel's quarterback sneak.

"I feel for our kids," Lewis said. "Every week they show up for practice, work hard, do what we ask; and then we get in the game and it seems like it always one or two mistakes, but big mistakes, that hurt us. We had the mess-up on the big pass play. Maybe it's our young guys getting overwhelmed or our seniors trying to do too much. But I am proud of them, they play hard every game."

Morgan finished the game with 116 yards on 29 attempts. DeLoach had 61 for Bryan County.